


Something New

by fadedmira



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - War, Dead animals, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gaslighting, Near Death Experiences, POV Second Person, Racism, Reader uses female pronouns, Reader-Insert, its mostly human prejudice against other species
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-22 10:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30037200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadedmira/pseuds/fadedmira
Summary: Wars aren't always worth fighting for.Maybe, for once, you want to make your own decisions.
Relationships: Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)/You
Comments: 42
Kudos: 95





	1. A Day in the Life

“Go!”

If there was one thing you were good at, it was winning a fight.

You lowered yourself, knees bent and feet loose, your fists held defensively near your face. You kept your stance wide but your shoulders close, your body a small target but sturdy.

Circling around your partner, you observed their movements.

Watching, waiting.

You knew when to strike, and when to hold back. And right now, you needed to play defensively.

Your partner dashed forward- they were fast, not as fast as _you_ , but still fast nonetheless. Similarly to yourself, they made up for their lack of brawn with quick, thought-out moves and an adaptable fighting style- they looked like the defensive type, but you knew otherwise as they hooked a fist up towards your jaw.

You blocked the punch with your forearm, swinging a leg out to catch their thigh and they grunted out in surprise. The impact was enough to send them stumbling, regaining their balance soon after, and preparing for the next attack. So you took the advantage and lunged forward to catch them with their guard dropped.

Swinging a fist out to their face, you shrunk closer to the ground in an attempt to keep distance.

The fist connected under their eye and you beamed, and when they tried to hook another fist under your jaw you had already pulled away and rounded them to get in another hit.

Sparring was always fun for you- it got your blood pumping, got your brain working, got your body moving. You had to think quick, act fast, or you would suffer the consequences. It kept you on your toes, and you loved that about it.

You went back and forth with your partner, taking and blocking hits, dodging and diving and circling one another like predator and prey. Getting out of this bruised and aching would be a given, but you didn’t mind.

When you sparred, you were _searching_ for that burning feeling.

Your partner kicked a foot at your ribs and you winced when it connected, your breathing heavy with the exertion. You had gotten distracted, lost your focus.

You weren’t going to back down though, and you used it as leverage, flipping them off their other foot and onto the ground. They went to push up almost immediately, but you caught their arm behind them, sitting on their lower back and holding it painfully in a vice.

“Tap out.” You breathed out with a chuckle, and they groaned, still attempting to push you off. They thrashed and tried to kick at you, but you just pinned their legs down with your knees.

“I’m not letting go.” Despite that, you could hear them continue to struggle, and after a few more moments they actually managed to shuck you off to the side.

Landing with an ‘oof’, you watched as your partner stood up and offered a hand out to you. That was the end of the sparring session, it seemed.

They pulled you up, and you reached over, lightly patting their bicep.

“Good session, George.” You offered, swiping up two bottles of water off the floor and handing one over to him. He accepted it with a tired smile, almost chugging the entire thing right then and there.

You sipped at the water instead and he leaned over and patted your back, the both of you covered in a thin layer of sweat, breathing uneven.

Every muscle in your body burned, and you knew a few bruises would pop up throughout the day.

Good, it wasn’t a worthwhile spar if you weren’t feeling the repercussions later.

“I almost had you too. But fuck,” George cradled his arm jokingly, giving you a glare, “you really tried to snap my arm in half, huh?”

You laughed at his complaint, and as a peace-offering reached down and passed the man his glasses. He, of course, happily accepted them, putting them on over his heterochromatic blue-brown eyes. Reaching up, you ruffled his sweaty dark hair and he swatted at your arm defiantly.

“You know you can’t beat me. Hand to hand combat is my bread and butter! I’m as fast as they come!”

“Just you w-“

“That’s what she said!”

Both you and George turned to face the new voice, and you raised an eyebrow at Sapnap’s grinning face, disappointed in his terrible addition to the conversation, but smiling nonetheless.

“Wouldn’t that be what _he_ said...?” You muttered questioningly, and George let out a snort at your quiet words.

“You look too much into details.” Sapnap chastised, settling beside George with a hand on his hip. The other messed with his black hair that was half pushed out of his face by a bandana, piercing golden eyes trained on you.

Turning away from the man, you pulled out a loose sweater from your bag and slipped it on over your vest. You needed a shower. Or maybe a run to keep this sweat up, to keep your body working and your thinking sharp.

“I’m sorry your tiny pea-brain can’t keep up.” You joked, taking another long sip from the water bottle as Sapnap furrowed his eyebrows. From beside you, George burst into laughter, only egging on Sapnap’s annoyance further.

“The fuck you mean tiny pea-brain? I ain’t an idiot, short-ass-“

“Yeah, and his name's not George.” You taunted further, and the man seethed under his skin. It was easy to see that if you continued he was going to burst, but you enjoyed prodding at the explosive man. These days, it was all the fun you could get.

“Fuck you, I’m gonna-“

“Gonna what? Blow a fuse?”

Sapnap stared down at you with this predatory gaze, and almost immediately after your words left your lips, he was racing towards you. You were expecting that. What you weren’t expecting was for George to simply sidestep out of the way, and you wanted to curse him out for not having your back.

“George, you’re a pussy! Just try and get me, Sap, you won’t!” With that declaration, you dashed off, pulling up your satchel from the floor beside you and slinging it over your shoulder. It smacked against your bruised ribs as you ran, but you kept pace, weaving in and out of tents and wandering persons.

The camp you lived in was big. Big enough to house at least a hundred recruits, and growing continuously if Dream’s frequent trips beyond the borders were anything to go by. He was constantly enrolling more and more people to fight alongside you all. It looked tiring, to be out and about all the time, searching for new faces with useful skills, but...

The war called for it. You knew that.

You side-stepped one of the medical tents and turned into a small alleyway between another two, crouching down in the shadows. Sapnap raced past you seconds later, still shouting out about his injured ego and how you were going to pay, and you could only smile.

Sure you were. From your hiding place, you felt _so_ scared.

A few more people walked by your cosy spot in the shade, and once Sap’s shouting died down to barely a whisper, you stepped out and rounded the corner.

You still wanted that shower, so you started back towards your tent.

You and a woman called Niki shared it- she was the camp’s medical director and main surgeon. She could be pretty timid sometimes, which was a rare find here, but you liked the quiet that came with her. You felt more at home, more like yourself in the comforting silence she brought.

Like you used to be, and still internally very much _were_ , she was easily socially exhausted and stayed mostly to herself. You did have the benefit of spending that alone time with her, but she never seemed to mind.

Not only was she a good companion, but she was extremely skilled. You remember during one of the larger battles, she (along with the few nurses and doctors she trained) had managed to keep the death count down to an astounding zero.

If there was someone here you truly admired, it would be Niki.

You didn’t bother greeting her when you entered your shared tent because you already knew she was hard at work in the medical tents- you had heard her talking earlier when you were hiding. Like everyone else here, she barely rested, but you knew it must be exhausting to continuously have others’ lives in your hands.

You didn’t envy her job.

Next to your cot was a chest piled with clothes and the few essentials you had managed to get your hands on.

It was hard to have nice things when you were in the middle of a war; resources weren’t exactly growing on trees. By name, they were essentials, but at this point, they felt more like luxuries.

Stashed in the corner of the chest were your precious soaps, and you grabbed them along with some comfortably loose clothes- a white long-sleeved shirt and some cargo pants. You also pulled out a towel from your's and Niki’s shared chest, before leaving the tent once more.

You were going to take that shower, and then maybe go on a walk. Or sleep.

The showers weren’t too far from where you were, so you took a relaxed walk in their direction. You passed by a lot of people, most of whom you didn’t know the names of, but you greeted them regardless. It was the small niceties that made living this sort of life bearable.

Turning the corner, you passed by the training grounds and noticed a few familiar faces. Sapnap and George were off at the shooting range, practising their aim and bickering the entire time. That didn’t stop them from keeping true to their spots as second in command, and head of arms. George was acing bullseyes, one after another. You knew Sapnap was more fitted for close combat, but he was still handy with a bow, his shots almost as centred as George’s were.

It wasn’t even surprising to see why Dream worked with them so closely. They were the top of the top. You trained with them in hopes of reaching a similar level one day; at least that was what Dream had told you.

He had said you were promising, capable enough to become something akin to George. A second in command, someone high in the ranks, something like that. You just needed to put the work in, build up your strength, build up the fight in you.

Dream had a lot of faith in you to become a force to be reckoned with, but you couldn’t quite see it. Still, he made you train, and he taught you what he could. He was your leader, after all, you didn’t have much choice.

You also noticed a younger boy in the distance sparring with one of the generals, and couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Wilbur was one of your close friends at the camp, and you met Tommy through him when Will had introduced the both of you to each other.

Tommy was the youngest recruit you had at the camp so far, at sixteen, but he was full of spirit and fight, and the need to protect. You admired him for that, and could tell that he would be the future- he would be one of the leading forces in ending this war.

Wilbur had a similar faith in him, like you, but you could tell he wasn’t as happy having Tommy subjected to all these hardships so young. You understood why, but as someone who had been working with the leader since you were a similar age, you couldn’t deny Tommy that right to fight alongside you all.

He deserved to protect and serve as much as the rest of you.

Speaking of the leader...

Dream stood to the side of one of the rice-filled training dummies, prized netherite sword in hand, his cold gaze digging into you from under that terrifyingly blank mask.

You never really liked that mask, and you were sure many shared that sentiment with you, too. It made it hard to see what he was thinking, but over the years you had gotten used to it.

Still, you would much prefer seeing him without it.

You offered him a half-hearted wave, turning away from his piercing gaze to continue your journey to the showers. You didn’t want to involve yourself with him right now, lest he try to get you to train or discuss strategies and battle tactics. You wanted to put in the effort, but you were so tired that you didn’t really want to subject your body to anything more.

Right now all you wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep off the aches of your labours.

“Hey,” You cursed under your breath at his voice, not even a few metres away by now. Like always, he was quick and quiet on his feet.

“Come join me.”

It wasn’t a request, it was a demand, like most things were with that man. But you knew he was just looking out for you- he just wanted your best interests in mind.

Still, that didn’t mean _you_ wanted them right now.

You just wanted sleep, really. And a shower.

“I was just about to-“

“That wasn’t an offer, and you know that.”

You furrowed your eyebrows because this was one of the few reasons your relationship wasn’t always on the best of terms. He _did_ want the best for you, he only _ever_ wanted the best for you, but he could be so commanding of you that it tired you out.

You ultimately relented though, walking a few steps ahead of him towards the rack of weapons.

They were mostly training swords, some shoddy wooden ones for sparring and a few iron swords for more slicing up the mannequins.

You wrapped the products in your clothes and set them down, shucking off the sweater you had on and pulling an iron sword from the rack. At the tent, you had your own- a sharp diamond that you had forged yourself.

It wasn’t your Blue, but this would have to make do.

Turning back to face your leader, you watched him pull off his hoodie and pick up a chipped iron sword as well, setting his netherite down upon one of the benches within his sheath.

Despite its pricelessness, you knew no one would dare even touch it. The prospect of facing Dream’s wrath was enough to deter anyone from stealing from him.

“I trust you’ll go all out?” He hummed, turning that smiling masked face of his to look at you once more.

Like every other evening, he wished to fight you, and your confidence shrunk a little.

Ghost sensations coiled across your body from previous fights with him, and you shivered.

“Of course, sir.”

If you get this over with, you could go have a nice cold shower to soothe the aches and inevitable cuts in your skin, and curl up in your covers to sleep the rest of the day and night away.

“Good. I hope to see that you’ve improved.” You simply nodded and got into stance.

Both your hands held the leather of the handle, thumb stroking the rough edges as you widened your feet. Once more did your body lower, but you kept your shoulders squared and feet steady. The iron sword was tilted forwards, pointing at him, pointing where you would strike.

Dream mimicked your stance, and you waited. He always made the first move.

He ran forwards, his sword held to his side as he directed the first swing. It sliced by you just as you dodged the attack, and you pivoted on your foot to take a swing at him.

The swords clashed together with a metallic shout, and your arms tensed as you pushed back against his strength. But strength was not what you excelled at, and he broke through your hold in mere moments. You pushed back out of the way, avoiding the blade and returning to your stance once more.

Like with George earlier, the two of you circled one another. The hunter and the hunted.

Once more did he dash forward, mock-swinging the blade before switching it to his other hand and bringing it down towards your shoulder. You barely caught on to his fake-out and quickly crumpled to the floor with your blade positioned to block the blow. His swing was harsh and powerful, and you scarcely avoided the deep wound to your collar bone.

Dream never held back.

It was survival of the fittest, after all.

You rolled out of the way as his sword connected with the ground, nicking your shoulder, and once you were back on your feet you charged him, aiming to pierce his abdomen.

Unsurprisingly, Dream blocked, knocking your sword to the side and consequently leaving your waist and stomach open wide. He brought his knee up and knocked the wind from you, causing you to sputter on your breath and stumble backwards. It was a miracle you kept hold of your blade.

You breathed in deeply, keeping your sword in a defensive position as you eyed the man. Couldn’t you catch a break for just one day? He always trained you to the extreme. It _exhausted_ you.

“Don’t be so risky.” He spoke, not even sounding out of breath in the slightest. “Your enemy won’t be so kind as to just wind you- they will kill you, Y/N. Fight like it’s your life on the line.”

Gritting your teeth, you ran at him again. As you closed the distance between you, he swung, and you ducked out of the way just in time. With swift movements, you dragged the tip of the sword across his side, drawing a hiss from him. You smiled at the small victory, backing out of his reach and watching him tilt his head down in frustration.

“Good. Exactly, just like that, _fight for your life_.” Dream took a menacing step forward before launching towards you, his sword positioned to try and pierce your stomach. It took a lot to hold your ground and not run, but you did, using your sword to knock his sword to the side as he had you.

The tip scratched across your side, and you hissed. Your strength faltered, and your swords that were connected swung back, his thinly dragging across one of your collar bones. It wasn’t deep, but it drew an exclamation of pain from you, and you smacked the sword harshly against his in order to push him back.

“Protect yourself- they are merciless _creatures_ , stop showing them COMPASSION. GIVE IT YOUR ALL!!” He shouted fiercely, once again slashing at you. It took a lot in you to block, and step out of the way, but he just kept coming.

You played the defensive for a while, avoiding most of his attacks and getting nicked here and there if you weren’t quite fast enough. It was hard to attack back when he hardly made room for a single opening, but you’d like to say you gave him a few wounds too.

Come the end of your session, you were panting and covered in a mixture of dried blood, sweat and dirt. Dream wasn’t as bad as you, but he was actually heaving in oxygen, which you counted as a win in your books.

He was _exerting_ himself in order to fight you, his chest heaving and his arms shaking, just like yours. His bare arms had small cuts and nicks and his shirt was stained red where you had cut him in the side a little deeper than the rest.

You weren’t any better, an irritated wound across your collar bone and shoulder leaving your left arm a bit numb, and a thin line cut into your waist, blood leaking into your vest.

“That... Will be all for today,” Dream sighed, rolling his shoulders and clutching one of his hands at his side. “You did better. But you’re not good enough yet. Keep working.”

His iron sword clattered to the floor, and you watched him walk off, picking up his sword and hoodie before heading towards the tent considered to be the base of operations.

Now that was over with, you returned the two swords and picked up your belongings.

It would feel good to wash the blood and grime from your scarred body, but you dreaded the sutures that were to come. Niki would probably berate you the second you stepped into that tent.

Something to look forward to, you suppose.


	2. He's a suture

You towelled off your hair after stepping away from the outdoor showers, dressed in cargo pants and a sports bra. Like always, those showers cooled you down and soothed the aches from training, but the water wasn’t magical- it couldn’t disinfect wounds and stitch up your injuries.

Damp towel pressed against your side, and your white shirt slung over your arm, you started back towards your shared tent.

It was dark out, only the lanterns that lined the tents keeping areas lit up. Niki would be finished for the evening, likely handing the shift over to Eret (one of the head nurses she had trained). That meant she was all yours, and though you didn’t want to make her do more work, the light trickle of blood still coming from your side’s wound and the puffiness of the gash across your collar told you it was necessary.

You weren’t looking forward to her scolding; she always made you feel like a kid.

If Dream wasn’t the man in charge, you’re sure that he would get a piece of her mind, too.

The sounds of the night were eerie as you walked, still very much as alive as the sounds of the day. Recruits were scattered about, some still training while others kept watch at the borders.

From here, even within the gut of the camp, you could still hear the creatures from outside. Their cries as your companions fought them off, kept them at bay.

The sounds were haunting, but you got used to it after a while.

Every night those monsters were there, attempting to infiltrate the camp, to sink their teeth into anybody they could. They were savage and volatile, but _those_ creatures weren’t the one’s fighting the battles and coordinating the attacks.

Those creatures were mindless carapaces. They attacked what moved and laid claim to what they could see. They didn’t have sentiment or a thought process or feel emotion like humans could; they lived on the basis of survival. Off of animalistic instinct, and reflexes alone.

Those creatures, out there, they weren’t _really_ alive, like you and the camp were. Outside of housing heartbeats (and sometimes, there weren’t even those to find), they were as close to inanimate as something moving could get.

Your camp called them Wanderers. Empty husks that walked the lands and disturbed the peace, wreaking havoc when given the chance.

More and more were arriving outside each night, and it unsettled you because they rarely used to come towards the camp unless they spotted someone.

You were nervous to think that, just maybe, the Hybrids were getting closer to your base.

Hybrids were different to Wanderers, more unpredictable and more _human._ They were sentient, and some even looked like you all, outside of some inhuman features.

They were the coordinators. They were thinkers, and fighters, and they were _dangerous_.

They were who you really fought.

Dream had told you a lot about them over the years. When you were younger, he relayed to you tales of their chaos. They were wild, and had burned many villages and homes to the ground. They stole crops, and cattle, and prayed on what the people built out of nothing. They were untrustworthy and disloyal.

Everything you knew about them, your entire view on them, was moulded from the ground up by Dream, and while you had your doubts, you had seen enough to know he wasn’t entirely wrong. You had seen his scars. You had scars of your own.

You still tried to keep an open mind, you wanted to be wrong, but up until now there had only been proof to support Dream’s words.

Unlike him, Niki completely disagreed. Apparently, she had been acquainted with Hybrids once, and according to her, they weren’t any different to humans other than their physical appearance. She had told you how they truly were, pleaded with you to see that they were just scared, and were nice people, had families, friends, and...

It almost worked.

In fact, you wanted to believe her. There was nothing more that you wanted than to have a reason to stop this tragic war, to start living life peacefully. But all the bloodshed just wouldn’t allow for that, at least not for now.

That wouldn’t stop you from hoping.

You used to wonder why she worked in the camp to begin with if she was so against Dream’s motives and ways, but when you saw her in the medical tents, rushing about with bags of blood or performing a life-saving surgery, you knew why. She may not agree, but that doesn’t mean she wants to see people suffer and die.

You were sure she wasn’t the only one, either.

But Dream was the kind of person to nip a problem in the bud, and so you knew no one would act on their beliefs. If he caught word of a rebellion within the camp, of traitors, you doubt it would be pretty.

The tent opening came into view, and you could hear Niki humming quietly to herself inside. You were glad to see she was finally getting some time to rest, but felt guilty that you would need to borrow her skills for just a few more minutes.

When you stepped inside, she instantly greeted you, a beaming smile on her soft face.

“Evening!” She pulled her face out of her book, looking up at you and-

“Woah! What happened??” Niki was up in seconds, coming over to you and removing the muddy-red towel from your side. The gash was still dribbling out warm blood, and you were a little bit miffed with Dream for cutting deep enough to make it an issue like this.

Her eyes continued to dart over you, and when she saw the thin line sliced into your collar bone, she almost threw a tantrum.

There was one thing she hated seeing, and it was her friends hurt.

“I can’t believe this! It was Dream again, wasn’t it?” Niki rushed around you and towards the medical kit at the foot of her cot, ushering you to sit on hers and telling you not to worry about the blood.

You did as told, but made sure to put your stained towel beneath you as to not get anything on her bed. Moving about still hurt like a bitch, but by this point, your body had numbed itself and blocked out as much of the pain as it could. Which, granted, wasn’t a whole lot, but still.

“Oh that man is insufferable, pushing you as much as he does... If he wasn’t the leader of this camp I swear I would’ve....” She trailed off, muttering indignant words beneath her breath as she searched for things within the kit.

You smiled at the care she had for you. It was nice to have friends.

Niki returned to you later with a metal basin, a surgical suture sitting within some kind of... Well, you weren’t sure, but it was probably to sterilise the instrument before she inevitably, um.

Yeah.

“That’s going to need stitches.” She set the basin down onto her bedside table, continuing to rummage through the bag. A few rolls of gauze, pain killers and some bottled disinfectant later, and she was tending to your minor injuries.

“I really... Don’t like stitching you up, you know.” Niki muttered as she cleaned out the wound on your collar bone. You sucked on your teeth, not replying as the stinging sensation burned into your shoulder.

Man, this sucked.

“Can you tell Dream ‘no’ next time, please? For me?” She finished disinfecting your shoulder and instructed you to lift your arms up a bit so she could access your side better. With a grunt, you did.

“Niki, you know he doesn’t take no for an answer.” You spoke through gritted teeth, her hands working carefully to wipe up the excess blood and disinfect the wound. A groan left you, and you scrunched one of your hands in your hair to try and focus on a different pain.

She stayed quiet as she focused, and once the wound was disinfected, she pulled away and glanced at her watch.

“Should be sterilised by now...” Niki muttered and pulled the basin over towards you. A thin line of thread was attached to the metal suture, curling about on top of the sterilising-liquid.

“I know, and that’s the problem!”

Breathing in, she turned to face you, dark brown eyes staring straight at you. You held her gaze, but when her eyebrows furrowed, you faltered. Seeing her with such an angry face was unsettling.

“He needs to know when it’s too much! Please, you need to set some boundaries, he doesn’t... He doesn’t have the right to order you about like this.”

You stayed silent as she instructed you to lie down on your side, the cool air hitting the open wound and making you wince. From where you lay, you could hear her moving about, probably to get the suture.

Like always, she muttered out apologies as she began to stitch, and even with pain killers, you could feel the searing pain of your flesh being pierced and sewn back into place. You brought your hand up to your mouth and bit down on it, muffling your agonising groans.

By now you would’ve hoped tolerating this would be easier, but apparently the throbbing hurt of it never got better.

It felt like forever before she was done, but when she was, she lightly guided you to sit up, your side still feeling like it was on fire. You lifted your arms up a little, per instructed, and she began to wrap the gauze around your waist.

When she was done, you lowered your arms and she set to work on your shoulder. It only needed a few stitches closer to the muscle of your shoulder, but the fine line that cut over your actual bone would heal fine by itself, or so she said.

“Please be more careful, I don’t want you to get hurt like this...” She finished wrapping the gash and settled beside you, suture sitting back in the basin and the rest of her medkit scattered about on the cot.

You wanted to tell her you would be, but Dream could be a little unpredictable.

Knowing him, he would probably ask you to train again tomorrow. Chuck you an instant health potion (of which you _didn’t_ have an unlimited supply of) and demand you take another stab at him, literally.

...He had your interest in mind, though. He just wanted you to be strong.

“I’ll try, Niki, I swear. But you know that Dream is just looking out for me.” You stood with a moan of discomfort, and Niki winced at the sound. You hated worrying her so much, but you were a soldier. You needed to be fit for the next battle, and dealing with things like this was only part of the job.

At least that’s what you’d been told.

Niki stared you down with an indifferent look on her face, chewing at her lips in anticipation, or annoyance, or something like that.

“It doesn’t always seem like he is.”

You stiffened a bit at her words and reflexively got defensive. Dream had been with you through thick and thin, he had been one of the few people to want to pick you up and help you become something better. Couldn’t she see that? That all he ever did was help you?

“Then you don’t know _anything_ , Niki.”

“Now wait, you know that’s not-“

“Dream’s doing this for _me_.”

You stepped around her and picked up your long-sleeved shirt bitterly, pulling it on over your head and lying down in your own cot with a grunt.

You could feel her eyes on you, and after a few moments of tense quiet, she stood up and began rummaging through the chest at the end of her cot. From it, she produced a sweet-smelling container, bright pink liquid swirling about inside.

“...Take a few sips of this.” She walked over and handed you the regeneration potion. “It will help speed up the healing process... But that doesn’t excuse you going out and getting more injuries, okay??”

You stared up at her indignantly, still sour about her butting in where she didn’t belong, but you accepted the liquid anyway.

Because you knew that she did just care for you, enough for her to come to fake conclusions about Dream purely because he had hurt you a bit worse than usual.

“...Thanks.”

The potion was sweet. You gulped down half of it before handing the remainder back to Niki to stash away. It fizzed around your body, and you could feel the slow healing start to take effect.

After that, the both of you shrunk back into a thick silence, Niki sighing and beginning to pack her instruments away.

You knew she wasn’t mad at you, but at the circumstances. And also Dream, but she was always annoyed with him.

“...Hey, Niks?” She hummed at you in response, closing up the medkit and taking the basin over to your tent entrance, emptying out the chemical onto the dirt ground.

“Um, I’ll cut you a deal?” Niki turned to face you with a quizzical look, and from where you lay with your head propped up, you laughed a little. Your side jolted in pain from the action, and the laughter sputtered out into groans. Ouch.

Once the pain mostly subsided, you cleared your throat and stared up at the tent ceiling in thought.

“I’m due to go out for tomorrow’s hunt anyway,” She nodded and sat down in her cot, “so I’ll just... Head out earlier, and avoid the usual training times, okay? That way Dream won’t be able to, um,”

“Pressure you into a fight.” She finished for you, bringing a hand up to her cheek in thought.

No, he didn’t... Pressure you into a fight, he was just very persistent in asking. And didn’t really take any answer other than ‘yes’.

You could see the cogs turning in her head, but a smile settled in place of the frown, so you figured she liked the sound of that.

“As long as you don’t get into any trouble outside, that should work.”

You scoffed, shaking your head and closing your eyes.

The day was hitting you full force now that you had gone through two stitched wounds, and all your bruises and little cuts started to dully throb. It was exhausting you.

That, and the regeneration potion’s side effects were kicking in, your eyes drooping closed with little effort.

“You know I’m quick on my feet. If I get into trouble I can just outrun it.” You chirped, and Niki let out a soft laugh. You were happy to hear her loosen up a bit, her days were already stressful enough and you didn’t want to add more onto that.

You didn’t want to fight her. In this kind of place, in these sorts of circumstances, you had to cherish your friends and family.

“You are quite speedy.” She hummed, lying back in her own cot and pulling a book off her table and into her hand.

“I promise I can outrun a Wanderer if they try to get me.” You avoided bringing up the Hybrids, just in case she got sad again regarding the supposed acquaintances she used to have.

Niki hummed in response, and the conversation ended there. A comforting silence settled over the both of you, far less thick with strain and stress.

You settled back into your pillow with a sigh, and kicked your boots from your feet. They fell to the floor, landing against your chest before the room went quiet again. All of your muscles were ready to succumb to sleep, and honestly, so were you. A good night’s rest was what you needed right now.

Bunching the covers in your hands, you tugged them up over your lower body and rolled onto your non-injured side, back facing Niki and the small candlelight she read by.

“Have a good sleep, Y/N.” She wished you, and a soft smile crept onto your face as you snuggled deeper into the thin covers.

“Night, Niki. Have a nice rest.” You replied quietly, yawning and closing your eyes.

It didn’t take long before you were out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so ive started a new book!!  
> dont worry, ill still be updating the 'once upon a time,' series, i just wanted to write something a little more original, so here it is!  
> im really excited to write 'something new', too, so i hope you enjoy it just as much. please tell me what you think so far :)


	3. The Hunt's on

“That should do it.”

George smacked a hand lightly against the steed’s hind, and you rolled your eyes at him. As _if_ he had contributed anything to the preparations!

“George, you sat there and _complained_ to me the entire time I was getting ready. You did literally nothing!”

He simply shrugged at your accusations, a sly smile on his face.

“Sure I did, whatever you say short-stack.”

You opted to ignore him from that point forward, checking over your inventory to make sure everything was there. Blue was tucked nicely into a sheath at your hip, and a quiver of arrows and its accompanying bow was secured to the saddle on your steed.

A few coils of rope were stashed inside a saddlebag, as well as a couple of leads and a packed lunch that Niki insisted you take with you. You had seen her not-so-subtly slip in the rest of the regeneration potion from last night.

She really was thoughtful.

Along with that were other essential items tucked into the bag, such as a few bottles of water, a flint-and-steel, a compass, and the like.

From what you could see, you were ready to head off. If things went your way, and you managed to find some cattle or even a boar to bring back along with your hunt, you would return home just as it was getting dark.

“And- wait, have you not been listening to me?” George broke through your thoughts just as you mounted Cow (fittingly named by Sapnap, obviously). He was a black and white overo stallion, and thanks to his markings, he looked a bit like a glorified cow.

Sapnap had jumped straight on the opportunity to name him as such, against both Dream’s and George’s best wishes. You liked the name, personally. It was funny and cute.

“Nope.” You popped the ‘p’ and brushed your fingers through Cow’s mane, scratching his neck. He whinnied at you in response, and you hummed. “I know boy, we’ll be off in a minute.”

“You’re useless, you hear? Useless.” George huffed and crossed his arms, turning away from you with that pout he always did. It never worked, and you found it hilarious that he thought it would.

“Say that to me again when I come back with cattle and a butt-load of game, okay?” You teased, and you could just feel him roll his eyes from behind those tinted glasses of his.

“Talk yourself up why don’t you. It’ll make it funnier when you return emptyhanded.”

You scoffed at his words and wave a dismissive hand towards him, and he mimicked the gesture mockingly.

You enjoyed stuff like this. Just joking about with each other, it was so terribly human. Distracted you from the fact that you would be entering the Bridge soon enough.

As the name suggested, it was the bridging grounds between what was _supposedly_ the Hybrids’ territory, and your camp. You were always a little anxious to hunt there because of the potential for crossing some Hybrid’s path, but at least with Cow you had a fast exit.

And it wasn’t like you were some helpless little princess, you could hold your own just fine.

“Whatever, I’ll see you later. Bring back a lamb or something and I will personally see to it that you never get put on inventory duty again.” George reached a hand up to pat your knee, and you kicked one of the stirrups out towards him with a chuckle. It narrowly missed connecting with his shoulder and the man feigned hurt.

“Fine! Be like that! I’m going to get Dream to make you clean out the animal pens every evening for the next _month_ -“

“You will, will you?”

“I will!” The man turned away from you with his arms crossed, but he didn’t go anywhere.

In fact, a grin stretched across his lips and you raised an eyebrow at the sudden change.

“Dream! Hey, Dreeaam!” George waved a hand in the air, and you turned in surprise to see the mask-clad man sauntering towards you with his hands in his pockets. He looked relaxed, which was a rare occasion.

“Hey.” Dream greeted, and you swivelled in the saddle to sit sideways on it, legs dangling off. He glanced between you, Cow, and George, before coming to the conclusion, “You’re leaving for hunting this early?”

The morning sun was barely scraping past the horizon. It was an hour or less past dawn, so the air was crisp and cold and the sky was only just lit up its usual murky blue.

Usually, you left to hunt at midday, and Dream knew that. You could tell he knew something was up.

“Yeah. I’ve got some plans to bring back a few cattle-“

“And a lamb.”

You made a point of glaring at George, and he sheepishly laughed, looking away.

“-and _maybe_ a sheep, so I figured I would leave earlier. I’ll return with some game too, obviously.”

Dream hummed in response to your words, seemingly satisfied with the reasoning and not at all suspicious that you were leaving so early as to avoid another training session with him, doctor’s orders.

“Right. Well,” He eyed the bandages visible from under your black t-shirt and baggy, unzipped hoodie, “I wanted to tell you that we will be-“

Oh, no, you wouldn’t be.

You lightly nudged Cow in the side and he whinnied again, cutting Dream off from probably asking you to fight later. Twisting around in the saddle, you propped your feet into the stirrups and gave Cow a light squeeze with your legs so he began to walk forwards.

“Whoops, looks like I’ve got to head out. Nice chatting, I’ll get you that pig for you George-“

“I want a LAMB.”

“-Right, lamb, anyway bye!”

“Wait, now hold on, we need to-“

Dream’s words fell on deaf ears as you lightly squeezed Cow with your heels, and he trotted off out the camp. He called out to you, tone almost desperate with irritation, but you were already too far to hear what he was saying.

The wind of the ride tousled your hair, and it felt good and refreshing against your skin. Your camp was settled upon plains surrounded by forest, and the sweet smell of grass wafted up to you.

Despite being a plains biome, where fauna usually grazed, there were no signs of animal wildlife. Most of them had been taken and put into the camp’s pens. They were let out once a day to graze in a fenced-off area of the plains.

It was safer this way, Wanderer’s couldn’t devour or harm them, and any Hybrids that wanted to steal them would have a harder time _getting_ them (though you doubted they would risk getting so close anyway).

Cow continued to trot forwards, and the edge of the forest came into view.

Where you were headed- the Bridge- was lively and luscious. Wild animals running about, varieties of beautiful flowers and delicious fruits, tall trees that touched the skyline- if it wasn’t such a dangerous area, you would go there every single day, simply to relax. Parts of it were even mountainous, leading up to the snowy peak of the Elysian Peaks. It was somewhere you had yet to go, but when all of this was over, you planned to scale it- sit atop it and watch the world tick by, for just a moment.

Wouldn’t that be the life.

Cow broke through the Bridge’s treeline with a neigh, and that was where your journey really began.

Water sprayed up from under Cow’s hooves as he trotted across the slippery slate-stone beneath you. Four rabbits were tied tightly to the saddle, gutted as to keep the meat from spoiling while you continued the hunt. They stunk of iron, but that was expected considering they were somewhat, rather, just a little bit _dead_.

You came to a stop at the edge of a pond, surrounded by the flat, rocky surfaces. It was flanked by trees on all sides, apart from one which held a deafening waterfall with a small rocky alcove behind it.

You frequented this place in the Bridge because it was quiet, and isolated, and allowed you and whatever horse you brought with you some time to rest.

Cow settled down beside the lake in one of the few grassy patches, and you reached over to remove the saddlebag so that you could alleviate some of the weight.

Both of you had been riding for a while now, and it was around midday. You had stopped for a few easy game, and made quick work of field dressing them then and there, but now you wanted to give Cow a rest and maybe have some lunch.

You sat down on one of the flat boulders near the water’s edge, and pulled out Niki’s packed food with a content hum. You were glad Niki had packed this because honestly, you were starving.

The first thing you noticed was the two shiny-red Pink Ladies at the top of the bag, and you chuckled at her thoughtfulness. She knew you’d be bringing Cow then, because these were his favourite.

“Cow, hey buddy, want a snack?” You lifted up one of the apples and he was on his feet in seconds, plodding on over to you with clicking sounds on the stone.

With your hands flat, you held out the apple to him and he happily accepted. It only took a few big bites and he had devoured the whole thing, looking at you expectantly, almost as if he could smell the other apple.

“Since when did you become some sniffer hound?” Cow nuzzled his muzzle against your hands and you laughed, shaking your head at his needy behaviour.

You plucked the second apple from the bag and held it out for him, and like the first, he chowed down on it. Two bites and he was done.

Greedy little bastard.

Now that he had satisfied his stomach, Cow trudged back over to the water’s edge, bending down so he could lap at the pond water. If given the chance, you were sure he would be stomping about in the shallower water, splashing you and being playful. He always had been high-spirited.

You leaned back against a thick tree trunk from atop the rock and dug into your own food. Niki had packed a couple of sandwiches for you to snack on, as well as a handful of berries and a wrapped up slice of what smelled like pumpkin pie.

She always made the best sweet treats- you think she used to work in a bakery before all of this. Maybe one day you’d be able to visit her in a bakery of her own.

A sandwich and half the pie later, you no longer felt hungry anymore. Snatching up the water bottle from your saddlebag, you took a few dehydrated sips before standing up and popping your back.

Maybe now was a good time to start your search for cattle, or even some wild boar. Bringing back one of those would be a pain, but also worth it. The more on-site animals you had, the less often hunting had to be done.

It was always a dangerous task to go out and hunt; there were never enough people to send out parties. Everyone had something to do, whether it was training or planning or defending, there were only ever enough resources to send out a few people to hunt alone, in separate directions.

This time, you had taken the Bridge. Another recruit was scouting for food in the opposite direction, and two others were probably similarly spaced about.

More livestock would lead to a much easier life, for everyone.

You repacked the saddlebag and took the time to refill one of the water bottles from the waterfall. It was a precarious task, balancing on the spit-covered rocks while trying not to get swept into the harsh pull of the waterfall, but you managed.

You tied the bag back onto Cow’s saddle, and he stood waiting, well-behaved. You combed your fingers through his mane soothingly, and he tilted his head back into your hand. It brought a domestic smile to your face, and you chuckled when he shook himself with another whinny.

That smile faltered when you heard movement, to your left, the rustling of bushes.

Immediately you reached for Blue in her sheath, shucking off the baggy hoodie onto the floor so you had a better chance with manoeuvring. You kept your body low as you approached the sound, breath quiet and footsteps noiseless.

The shuffling of leaves comes to a halt, and your eyes narrow in on the place you had seen the movement.

You gulped down your nerves, breathed in and kicked past the brambles, sword drawn and ready to attack.

Much to your surprise, there was nothing there, just some twigs and a few stray leaves, as well as-

The hairs on your neck bristled and you twisted in place, narrowly sidestepping a sharp, purple blade. It connected with the trunk of a tree and your eyes immediately snapped from the weapon to the weapon’s owner.

For a second you thought it was a man that stood tall before you, his face human enough with glaring red eyes and a few pale scars littering his peachy-coloured jaw. His hair was messily tied in a short ponytail, strands sweeping across his forehead and framing his face- one side even in a small braid.

However, you soon realised that he was far from human, with pointed ears (that almost resembled a pig’s) and tusks protruding from his mouth and up over his lips. You realised his skin wasn’t even peach, but in fact a slightly pinkier pigment.

This was a Hybrid.

He swung at you again, and you ducked out of the way, going to unsheathe your sword when something collided _hard_ with your side. You gasped at the surging pain, fuck, you should have drunk the rest of that regeneration potion, and the force launched you sideways, head smacking harshly against the cool surface of the rocks.

Your body still ached from yesterday, but when that something had slammed into you, a new world of pain hit you.

Your vision swam with stars. Blinking little white dots, eyes struggling to focus, all blurry and swimming.

For a moment, your ears had cut out, and everything sounded watery and submerged. Sound came back full force a few seconds later, and you became hyperaware of your own laboured breathing and the sound of the trees whispering in the breeze.

You were pretty sure you had rolled onto your back when you made contact with the rock, because you were lying face up, dazedly staring up at-

Well, it would be the canopy if there wasn’t an inhuman face dangling over you.

You swallowed, eyes feeling heavy, but you continued to stare at the man- no. It wasn’t a man, it was a creature. A fucking Hybrid, dangerous, brutal, and savage.

Its gaze was harsh and angry as it looked down at you, a snarl on its face. If you hadn’t just sustained a concussion, or potentially worse, you would’ve head-butted it, _hard_.

You shifted in place, going to grab at the creature or push it off, but your hands were pressed painfully against the craggy ground. One of its hands encompassed both of your wrists above your head, keeping you pinned.

Fuck.

A frown set in as you attempted a different route.

You tried to free your legs, kick it off of you. But this _thing_ was practically six foot plus of pure muscle. It was heavy, and from its place on your waist (very painfully pressing into your wound, you might add) you weren’t able to move at all.

_Fuck._

The nail in the coffin was its other arm pressing into your neck, limiting your breathing. In its hand was a small, sharp blade, positioned dangerously close to the side of your neck. Subconsciously, you inched your head away from the blade, but it pressed down harshly onto your neck with its forearm, and you sputtered.

**_Fuck_**.

Were you going to die?

It sure felt like it.

Swallowing, you stared challengingly up at the beast’s blood-red eyes, unwilling to back down. It narrowed its eyes at you, and you wondered if it was confused. Good.

With a sharp intake through your nose-

You spat directly at its face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, im honestly having too much fun writing for this!! dont expect this rapid rate schedule to continue for much longer though!  
> and don't worry, im still working on the next chapter for 'plagued by madness', but because these chapters are shorter im able to get them out a bit more! :)
> 
> please tell me what you think!! wonder how this mysterious hybrid that totally isn't technoblade will react to being spat at


	4. Belly of the Beast

In retrospect, spitting up at someone who was actually _above_ you was a completely terrible idea.

The saliva connected just below the creature’s eye, and dribbled down its nose before splatting dangerously close to your face. Actually, it probably landed in your hair, which was a bit disgusting.

But it was nothing in comparison to the surprise that sparked in the Hybrid’s eyes from your actions. Obviously, it hadn’t been prepared for you to stoop so low. Seeing that was satisfying enough for you to forget the spit tangled in your hair and let a smirk settle onto your face.

“...Not what I was expecting.” The creature spoke out in a deep, human-sounding voice. In fact, it spoke your language. You could understand it.

Things were suddenly very different to when you fought them in battle, only hearing war cries and inhuman shouts.

It was talking to you. Like a sentient, sort-of-human, _being_.

Your smirk faltered, and you furrowed your eyebrows, twisting your body beneath him- it, in an attempt to get out. Its shock dissipated, a grumble of annoyance escaping it before it pressed down harshly onto your wrists. It drew a wince out of you, but you still continued to thrash.

“Geez- hold still, you’re not-- makin’ this very easy,” The thing (it was a thing, it wasn’t human, you had to keep reminding yourself that) muttered, pulling you off the ground for a fleeting second before slamming your wrists back down rather harshly into the stone.

Your head collided once more with the rock, and you groaned in pain, the edges of your visions sparking with fuzzy stars. You watched the Hybrid with a dazed expression, trying your hardest to focus on it just a bit.

Its hand was no longer holding a blade to your neck, but rather steadying itself, pressed into the rock just above your head, its face hanging awkwardly over yours.

Though, it was all a bit of a blurry mess right now. When you looked up to see its face, warm, involuntary droplets of tears trickled down your cheeks, joining the spit in your hair.

Wait, tears?

You were crying...?

“Whoops. That was a bit rough.” It realised flatly, staring intently at something above your head and loosening its hold on your wrists by just a bit. It whispered something like ‘no’ and ‘that just proves their entire point’ to no one in particular, you think, and you sniffled just as it was leaning down to- uh, sniff your hair?

The Hybrid’s piercing eyes returned to your face, and it faltered.

“Wait- uh, what?” It stared down at your sobbing form, and suddenly the atmosphere around it shifted.

“Uhhh- Can you... Stop crying?”

From behind the blur of apparent-tears, it looked nervous, that intense stare it held up until that point softening in a way you didn’t know Hybrids were capable of. If you squinted, it maybe even looked a bit concerned.

Underneath that concern though, its eyes swirled with a searing red emotion you couldn’t quite recognise. Almost as if the Hybrid was having some internal conflict.

“Man, uh, that was an accident.” Its fingernails scratched anxiously at your wrists, and you sniffled again, swallowing a heavy lump from your throat.

The hand that had been planted beside your head moved cautiously, coming closer to your face than you were comfortable.

If you had waited, it would have tried to wipe away your tears, and maybe run a thumb down your cheek because it hadn’t seen a human up this close, _alive_ , in some while; but instead of that, the moment its hand got near you, you bit down into it.

Metal bled onto your tongue and you scrunched your face up at the strong taste, and your teeth unlatched from the hand the moment it pulled away.

The Hybrid shot up with another expression of surprise, eyes staring almost mesmerised at the dripping red escaping the bite wound. And then it turned towards you, a darker look to its eyes.

You wanted to disappear right then and there at the way it stared so hollowly down at you. Like it had suddenly become some Wanderer, fuelled by anger and bloodlust.

Around your waist, its knees locked tight, and you wheezed at the sudden extra pressure being applied to your wound. Its hand dropped your wrists, and you briefly froze at the sudden freedom.

That freedom was fleeting. Its scarred hands wrapped around your throat and your breathing sputtered, airways tightening, and it squeezed.

Your eyes bulged and you instantly clawed at the hands locking you in place, putting all you had into getting them from around your neck. It was choking the life out of you, a snake constricting its prey.

Your nails dug new, fleshy-pink lines down its hands, but it didn’t relent.

All the Hybrid did was increase the pressure, and now you couldn’t quite gasp in the air your body needed.

“S- St--op... Get-“

A dry cough cut you off, vision swimming for probably the third time today. Your half-words fell onto deaf ears, and you tried to swallow as its hands flexed tighter around your throat. The blood in your face was nauseating, and you felt light-headed. The longer it stayed like this, the more your lungs burned, and you started to get desperate.

Were you really going to die?

Like this? Of all ways?

You lifted a weak fist, feeling dizzy, and launched it at the creature’s face.

It didn’t even flinch.

That didn’t stop you from continuing, sending out a barrage of feeble attempts to escape. You couldn’t die like this, right here, right now.

Your ears started to ring and your head spun ten times faster. Things suddenly felt like they were falling around you.

Fuck, you were done for.

Only when your vision started to fade in blotches of black did something actually happen. Your ears were filled with static and you could barely see, but one moment the Hybrid was on you, and the next, all the weight had been lifted, the hands painfully losing purchase from your neck.

The moment it was gone, you heaved in air like it was going to disappear. You hunched over and coughed and breathed, and clutched at your shirt with terror, silent tears continuing to fall.

You knew you didn’t have long to wallow, but you couldn’t help the shuddering breaths and hot wet tears from escaping you. You felt sick, nauseated, but hey, you were alive.

Something brushed against your back and you froze up, swiftly turning to face the intrusion of your personal space. Cow was sat there, muzzle pressed against your shoulder, ears flapping and looking antsy.

Had Cow just charged the Hybrid?

God, he would be getting so many fucking apples when you got back.

With Cow as a crutch, you stood yourself up on shaking legs, surveying the area in hopes of assessing the situation.

The first thing you noticed was the blood on the floor where you had just been laying. You leaned down to check under your t-shirt, but surprisingly the stitches were still intact. No blood dripped from the wound, the flesh was just irritated and pink.

The second thing was the Hybrid, a few metres away from you, hunched over and grumbling nonsense at itself. One of its hands carefully prodded at a spot of sticky blood in its hair. You glanced down at the blood on the rocks and hesitantly mimicked the action, wincing at the pain that shot through your head, a throbbing headache mixing in with your burning lungs and bruised windpipe.

You weren’t up for much more of a fight.

You should just go back. Head home. Tell Dream about what happened, get Niki to patch you up, _fuck_ you felt light-headed.

The third thing that you realised, upon closer inspection, was that Blue no longer sat on your hip in her sheath, and was instead lying a few feet away in the opposite direction of you, and the Hybrid.

In no world would you leave Blue behind, so you made quick work of ambling over to the sword as well as a concussed, recently choked-out person with irritated stitches could.

Man, you were living the life right now.

While you collected your precious sword, the Hybrid continued to groan out and mumble things you couldn’t quite hear, still very much on the floor. Cow had been the one to kick it off you, so if you were lucky maybe it had a few fractured ribs or something. Hooves were pretty lethal.

The smart option, your _best_ option, was to mount Cow and be off before that beast could recover. You swallowed down more of nothing, throat still stinging. Obviously, you were going to play smart. Self-preservation was finally kicking in, and you wanted out of here, right now.

Just as you sheathed Blue, the creature got up from its place on the ground, and you almost shuddered when you saw the look in its eye.

You took two involuntary steps backwards to put a little more distance between you and that glare.

It was deep and murderous. You couldn’t find an inch of humanity inside it, which made sense since it _wasn’t_ human, but... You had been starting to second guess yourself, maybe just a little.

With the way it spoke to you, looked at you, conveyed emotion, it was beginning to feel less like this emotionless creature that wreaks havoc, and more like...

Well, you.

But, y’know, that was before it tried to fucking strangle you to death.

If you wanted to avoid any more trouble, you would need to leave sooner rather than later.

Before you could even start your return to Cow, the Hybrid was making its own dash for the animal, a predatory gaze in its eyes. You noticed the shimmering, purple blade from earlier was back in hand, and you froze up.

Because he was going towards _your_ Cow.

With intent to kill.

You didn’t have long to process this and think up a solution, but you knew the only real answer you could come up with that didn’t involve Cow dying was... Risky.

Breathing in, you unbuckled the sheath and let Blue drop to the ground, before making a mad dash to intercept the beast’s path.

You weren’t going to let it do anything to your steed.

Along the way, you picked up the smaller blade it had held up to your neck, and just as it tried to impale Cow’s head like a skewer, you tackled it.

The Hybrid wasn’t exactly a small figure, so the momentum in order to whisk it off its feet was... A lot. The second you had collided and pushed it right off its feet, you could feel your word turning around you so that you were upside down.

For a moment, it was a mess of limbs and stray blades going flying, but as you both rolled precariously across the slippery rock, you managed to stay relatively unscathed. Both of your blades were left somewhere behind you, and you continued to roll until the water’s edge was dangerously close.

The entire time, the creature attempted to grab at you, tugging your hair and irritating your head wound. You, in turn, clocked him across the cheek before coming to a stop.

Where you had landed was much nearer to the waterfall than anticipated, and there was a partial drop off from the rocky grounds into the water below.

Before you even had the chance to move from atop the creature, its fist connected with your jaw and your head snapped to the side. It shifted and tried to sit up, so you locked your knees tightly around its abdomen and head-butted it square in the nose.

The action at least disorientated it for a moment, and as its nose began to bleed. Your head swam from the sudden action, but you pushed through it and brought a fist up, attempting to punch it hard across the face.

While one arm wiped at its dripping nose, the other caught your fist. The grip was crushing, and you went to rip your hand away but it simply latched on harsher- your bones felt like shattering under the raw strength.

Your eyes darted about, catching sight of the large, shimmering sword. If you could just get hold of that, you would be set.

Leaning forward, you spat at its face again, and once more did it falter at the disrespectful gesture. It gave you enough time to slam down your fist into its chest, causing its grip to loosen, and make a mad dash off the Hybrid and over to the sword.

Halfway there, the creature caught on and pushed itself up hurriedly, meeting you in the middle.

You gripped the handle of the sword with both hands, trying to keep the weapon as the creature’s large hands attempted to steal it away from you.

You knew you were going to lose. You didn’t have the strength to compete with this six-foot fucking brick wall, especially after all that had happened already.

Still, you attempted to fight back regardless, ramming forwards and digging your shoulder into its abdomen. It stuttered in its movements and slipped a few steps backwards.

This could be your chance-

Just as the Hybrid surged forwards to ram back into you, you yanked backwards, effectively forcing the both of you off balance. For a few moments, it was like flying, the air rushing through your hair as you stared, wide-eyed up at the Hybrid before you.

Your descent was quick, and it only registered where you were headed seconds before you broke the icy cold surface of the water.

You were falling to the bottom of the pond in seconds, the beast’s heavy body weighing you down, down, deeper under.

Instinctually, you gasped from the sudden temperature drop. Unfortunately, being underwater meant that the mineral-heavy water was able to weave its way into your weakened lungs within seconds.

Oh, fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little shorter but thats because most of this is action based! the next chapters much calmer  
> also writing about techno using 'it' the entire time was a task and a half!! you have no idea how many times i had to check if i wrote he/him in place of it
> 
> anyway, techno and reader really arent off on the best foot, are they? how are they going to salvage that??


	5. Seeing Red

For a moment, all he could see was red. It was a deep, pulsating red, violent and it embraced him in a prickly warm hug. He couldn’t fight it, no matter how hard he tried to.

The voices chanted, unrelenting in their efforts to push him over the edge, and it happened in more ways than one.

He had lost his cool, overwhelmed by the loud confusion of them all calling out to be heard. His brain was a crowded room, packed to the brim with people loud enough that he could barely even hear his own thoughts.

It’s not like he had intended to, but when he’d seen the red blossoming beneath your head, smelled the iron in the air, in your hair-- and then, you’d bit him, and his hand bled red...

Succumbing to temptation was just natural.

The moment he coiled his hands around your neck, the voices were gone and it finally felt quiet enough to think, to _breathe_.

Watching the light die from your eyes was enough for him, enough to quell the beast of bloodlust, shut the incessant voices up for just one damn second.

You were like some nicely wrapped present, just for him. Ribbons of blood curling around you, begging for him to tear into you and rip you apart, and as he squeezed ever tighter, he was prepared to do just that.

But then he was no longer on you, flying through the air until his head collided with a tree.

A few seconds after the impact, he was disorientated, curling in on himself with a pained groan. Some sticky, wet substance was dribbling down his forehead, and once he brought his hand up to the front of his crown, he winced.

More red.

Dribbling down, further down, into his eyes and leaking into the rocks below.

And then the voices were back, louder than ever, shouting at him to get up.

_‘Kill that damn thing.’_

_‘Tear it to shreds.’_

_‘And rip the pretty little human limb from limb, too.’_

“ _I will._ ” He had whispered, breathing out the pain. “ _You don’t have to tell me twice._ ”

And he had tried to move, to sit up, but apparently being kicked a few feet by a horse wasn’t so painless. His ribs ached, and his shoulder felt dislocated.

_‘E.’_

_‘Get up, this is nothing.’_

_‘Blood for the Blood God.’_

It didn’t take much force to pop his shoulder back into place, and the searing feeling only lasted a few seconds under his intense craving for blood. The aching in his ribs persisted, but he had concluded no ribs were quite broken, so he could move.

Act on his desires.

When he turned his red-stained vision to the horse, he saw that you were ambling off towards your sword. A smart move really, but that didn’t matter because, by the time he had skewered that horse through the head, you would be beneath him, screaming in agony.

Or so he had hoped.

But you were hell-bent on proving him wrong, it seemed, as you tackled him with a cry. For such the comparatively smaller thing that you were, you managed to sweep him right off his feet, and he was tumbling backwards within seconds.

You had flipped over him, and he had followed, and the both of you went tumbling.

There was a rage within him at losing the kill that forced him to grab at you, trying to pull you apart as he rolled, and rolled, and rolled.

Despite yourself and everything that had happened, you still managed to punch him square in the face, and he seethed evermore at that fact. That you were still fighting.

If he had been in his right mind-set, he may have even been just a little impressed. Your resolve was unwavering, and that was admirable.

After more wrestling and yet another projectile of spit hitting his face, the both of you had come to an ultimatum.

His hands gripped the sword tight, and though you yanked and pulled to try and rip it free, he didn’t budge. It was only when you dug your shoulder-deep into his bruised ribs that he faltered, and by then he was already barging forwards with the force to knock you off your feet.

At the exact same time that you jerked yourself backwards to rip the sword from him.

Over the edge he went, your body under his as you both hit the water, hard.

It was cold and refreshing, and it felt like needles stabbing against his open wound while also soothing the aches within him at the same time.

And the sudden temperature drop shocked him out of the stupor he had been in enough to regain himself and his common sense.

Techno pushed up against the water, swimming with all his strength in order to reach the surface. When he broke it, he breathed in deep, searching about as he trod water.

You were nowhere in sight.

He gulped in another breath and glanced down into the dark blue of the pond, deep enough that he could barely see you and the shimmering netherite sword you had brought down with you.

Techno waited a second, and then another, and when you didn’t swim up to safety, he cursed himself and the voices, and dove back down under.

The current from the waterfall was a pain to swim against, but he managed. When he reached the bed of the pond, he was panicked to find you with your eyes closed and lips parted.

That was _not_ good.

Beside you was his sword, still glinting in the sun, but he discarded it in light of saving you. Because it was his fault that you were in such bad shape.

Hooking his arms under your armpits, he heaved you up, kicking harshly with his legs until the both of you were at the surface. His internal concern only increased when you didn’t gasp in air, and he realised that was because well- you weren’t exactly breathing.

His movements were frantic as he pulled you up out of the water, laying you on your back and wiping his hair out of his eyes.

He had to be quick.

Techno took your chin in hand and tilted your head backwards, making sure that your airways were clear. Afterwards, he lay his cheek close to your mouth, watching for a rise and fall in your chest or a breath on his cheek.

Neither happened, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

“Well this isn’t ideal...” He muttered, quick to take action.

Keeping your head tilted backwards, he pinched your nose and leaned down, breathing five deep breaths into your mouth. When he pulled away from the fifth, you didn’t sputter out water, and you definitely weren’t breathing yet, either.

Techno chewed at his lip for a second, before clasping one hand over the other. Locking his arms straight, he began to do chest compressions, pressing down with a steady beat for a minute.

This was a stressful situation. Phil was far more suited for something like this- saving lives was never his schtick, he was always more of a fighter, but Phil sure knew how to help. That man had saved Techno on a few more accounts than he was okay admitting.

He’d travelled a violent path in life.

But that was no reason to kill you, or let you die, not yet at least- he still had questions to ask, and honestly, you had just been acting out in self-defence.

He had kind of swung at you, thinking you were a Stray or one of those Insurgency freaks, but he was less sure of himself now. You obviously weren’t some zombified corpse, and as for the latter- it looked like you were hunting before he stumbled upon you during his routine checks, so maybe you lived alone somewhere?

Maybe you were one of those decent humans that didn’t fight in the war. A neutral party.

Or maybe you were part of the Insurgency, and he was just a terrible judge of character.

Either way, he wouldn’t be completely sure unless he got you chucking up that water from your lungs.

He followed the compressions with another two breaths into your mouth, and that was when your chest started to rise and fall again. That was a good sign.

Withholding the chest compressions, he breathed once more and you started to cough, sputter, and he wasn’t sure what to do other than hold you up so you would be able to choke out the water onto the rocks. Which you did.

Your eyelids were fluttering as you hacked up your lungs, and just from holding you he could tell you were not doing well. In his arms, you felt weak, and you were shivering.

Phil had told him once that someone who had just drowned needed to be warm- and dry. Right now, with his own clothes dripping, he wasn’t sure if that was possible.

“Uh, yeah, you got it,” He encouraged as you continued to choke, and when you started wheezing he laid you on your good side carefully, watching water dribble out past your lips.

This was a bit more jarring than slicing up the opposition in a battle.

“Okay, right uhh... Gotta get her somewhere warm. And with some dry clothes.” Techno stood and began pacing, his eyes never leaving your (barely) breathing form. He needed to act fast, but he wasn’t sure how to go about transporting you.

There was no way he could carry you that far quick enough, you’d probably already be dead from hypothermia or something by then.

And you needed pretty urgent medical assistance anyway, with a head injury and... Techno’s eyes graced over the blotchy bruise marks around your neck.

And, well, that.

Phil would be pretty useful right now.

The voices weren’t helping much, either. Most of them were confused and encouraging him to just leave you, or finish what he started, but there were a few that were

_‘Get help.’_

_‘Save her.’_

_‘Use the horse!’_

A quiet whinny brought his attention away from you, for just a second, and he almost felt glad he hadn’t impaled his sword through that horse’s head.

“That’s convenient,” he mused and, without a second to waste, he trudged back over to you. How he was supposed to go about riding that thing with an unconscious body was a mystery in itself, but he’d work something out.

Techno leaned down and carefully propped you up, your breathing still ragged and a small gurgling sound escaping you every time you wheezed out a breath. He opted to ignore it right now, because what more could he do other than get you to Phil?

He pulled you up by your thighs, draping you over his front and walking off towards the horse. It didn’t look too pleased to be near him, but the thing had no other choice. Its owner would die otherwise.

“You wanna give buckin’ me another try?” He deadpanned, swiping up the sheath you had unbuckled right before jumping him. Most of your other belongings were already on the horse, apart from a black hoodie and the sword.

Before he mounted the horse, he decided that _something_ dry was better than nothing.

He was rather quick about slipping the wet t-shirt over your head and zipping the dry hoodie up around you, nervous that if he didn’t get a move on, you would end up dying.

After that, he pulled you back up, your arms and head draped over his shoulders. This would be a pain to do. Hooking his forearm under your ass and making sure you were secure against him, he hitched a foot in the stirrup, and pushed the both of you up onto the horse.

A bit of a wobbly start, honestly, but at least the thing didn’t immediately buck him off.

He squeezed his legs around the horse and it started to trot, leading up to a canter. One of his hands gripped the reigns, the other around your back as you wheezed over his shoulder, coughing on occasion when there was a particularly unfriendly bump in the path.

The ride was quiet and tense, the ten minutes it took by horseback stretching out to feel like an eternity with your ever-weakening and still shivering self.

It was a race against a clock Techno couldn’t quite see.

When he finally caught sight of the house, covered in vines and shaded by the tall expansion of a canopy of trees, he breathed a sigh of relief. You were still shivering, but at least that meant you weren’t in the advanced stages of hypothermia or anything. Which would probably suck pretty badly.

The horse stopped just outside the doorstep, and he carefully hopped off, not bothering to tether it down anywhere. It seemed like a loyal steed, so he doubted there was much need.

Techno kicked the door open with his foot, calling out into the house for Phil.

“Hey mate- you good?” Phil called in response as he descended the stairs, and Techno only grunted in response. He was busy setting your still-dripping self into one of the armchairs so he could set up a warm bed somewhere.

“...Yeah, doin’ good, just got a concussed drown victim here, nothin’ that special.” He replied nonchalantly and Phil hurried his steps down the stairs.

“You what??”

Techno shrugged and nodded towards you, still shivering, and wet, and coughing, and not really conscious, in the chair. Phil rounded the chair to see you, and his eyes shot up to look at Techno.

“Jesus, Techno, the fuck happened?” Techno rolled his shoulders but didn’t reply, and so Phil returned to look you over before ushering Techno off to get some dry clothes.

“And change yourself. You’re soaking- that’s not any help.”

“You _will_ be explaining this when I’m done.”

Techno simply nodded and trudged off to a room downstairs. It was his, with a bed and some drawers, a chest and some other miscellaneous things, but he barely used it. He was always out, or visiting others.

And sleep wasn’t always on his mind.

Rummaging through the drawers, he pulled out one of his loose shirts and some trousers, undressing and slipping them on quickly before finding some of his older clothes. They were smaller, but would still probably dwarf you by just a bit.

Or a lot.

He opted for a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and piled a blanket on top of that just in case.

When he returned into the main room, he found you laid out on a cot, comfortably close to the fireplace which was now on and being stoked. Your head was also wrapped in a bandage, and when he looked over to Phil with a raised eyebrow, he only jerked his head towards you, focusing on getting the fire to a substantial heat.

“Change her clothes. Then, explain- isn’t much else we can do till she wakes up. Had a pretty nasty fall- you don’t happen to know anything about that, do ya mate?” Phil hummed, turning around to shoot Techno a warning look at the second part. He would be giving that explanation, whether he liked it or not.

Techno returned to your side and carefully sat you up, unzipping the semi-damp hoodie from around you. Carefully, he started to slip the shirt over your head- it was much harder dressing an unconscious person, but he managed.

When he was done, you were wrapped up snug in some dry clothes, and a warm blanket, the heat of the fireplace breathing life into your paled features. You were still breathing like an asthmatic, but it sounded a lot less gurgly than before.

Techno sat himself down in the armchair closest to your cot, watching you breathe for a few moments, before Phil cleared his throat with an expectant look on his face.

“Uhh, well, I’ll be needing a new netherite sword, that’s for sure.”

“Techno-“

“Yeah, okay,” Techno crossed his arms over his chest, staring you down once more, before casting Phil a side glance. He had come up beside Techno, gauze in hand as if offering to wrap up his own head wound. Techno simply shook his head- he healed much faster than humans did anyway, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Go on then, Tech. What sorta circumstances bought her here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some techno pov while reader's busy almost dying!! i hope the pov change for this chapter isn't jarring or anything, i thought it would fit nicely  
> i sincerely hope i wrote techno well??
> 
> also! for those of you that read this and 'plagued by madness', do you have a preference for which gets updated more ? or do you not mind??
> 
> i appreciate any feedback you guys have :)


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